


Reunion and Recovery

by WestEndWhirlwind



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 10:42:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19130401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WestEndWhirlwind/pseuds/WestEndWhirlwind
Summary: GIANT BANDAID ON CANON





	Reunion and Recovery

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Abby Krull](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Abby+Krull).



The sounds came first. He blinked slowly, blurry colours solidifying. Somebody drew a sharp breath beside him.

“He’s waking up!” they hissed. He knows that voice...where did he know…

“Tony? Oh my god,  _ are you out of your mind?! _ ”

“Hey, Pep,” he murmured, lapsing into a fit of coughs. A rush of air blew past his face, his cheek stinging...she’d slapped him.

“ _ Are you out of your goddamn mind?! _ ” she screamed again. His vision started coming back into focus. She was leaning over him, angry and terrified and perfect. He pushed himself off the pillows and pecked her on the lips. She froze, eyes wide and mouth slightly open with surprise.

“Missed you,” he breathed. She collapsed on top of him.

“Hey! Hey hey hey! You can’t come in here! Where’s your badge?! This is a top security area, and you don’t have cle-  _ hey! _ ” Happy Hogan’s voice echoed around him, and a soft brunette bundle slammed into Tony with all the force of a freight train.

“Mr Stark?! I know I shouldn’t be in here but they said you were in trouble and I didn’t want you to die alone but you’re not alone you have people here and this is really stupid to think that you’d remember me but I remember you and I wanted you to know that and I’m so sorry that I wasn’t here when you needed me and it’s Harley, Mr Stark, remember? I’m the kid who kept harassing you and I’m  _ so _ sorry about that but I was a kid and I didn’t know any  better and -” He finally stopped to take a breath, and Tony crushed the shaking kid to his chest.

“How’ve you been, kid?” Harley drew in a shaking breath and burst into wracking, heart-wrenching sobs.

The door slid open again and Happy ran in, panting. “Sorry, sir. He got past me -” He directed a glare at the sobbing Harley, which softened as soon as he saw the state the kid was in. “- I’ll just...ah...leave you to it.” He swung around and headed back out the door to talk to someone beyond the frosted glass.

Now that his vision was clearing, he could see other people clustered around his bed. Pepper was leaning on Rhodey, and Bruce (Hulk? Bruce. Huce? Brulk?) stood in the corner, bent nearly double to fit in the small room, with Thor taking up a good portion of the space himself. Harley had recovered somewhat and was attempting conversation (albeit nervously) with Nebula, who seemed unimpressed. His eyes landed on the final inhabitant of the room. “Rogers.”

The blond stepped forward, seeming anxious. “Tony -”

“Get over here.” His voice was surprisingly steady, considering how he felt inside. All the feelings inside him threatened to blow - anger, betrayal, fear - and he was surprised to see Cap’s eyes misting over. “Rogers, you have been a real pain in my ass ever since New York. No, scratch that. I hated you since my father came home from work that day. God. ‘Steve’s done this, Steve’s caught them, Steve’s lifted that’. And then I met you.” He blew air through his nose, frustrated. “America’s golden boy. Miraculously revived. I wanted to punch you in the teeth. Your stupid outfit and your...your  _ morals _ , and how everything just seemed so black and white with you. Are they a bad guy? Yes? Then incapacitate ‘em. Are they good? Then save ‘em.”

Cap ran his hands through his hair, helpless. “Look, I -”

“ _ No _ . I’m not done,” Tony snapped. Cap shut up.

“I get that you’ve ‘grown’ since you stopped being a Capsicle, but what you don’t  _ get _ is that not all of us had a magic cure-all for all our issues. Congrats, you got a perfect body and a woman and everything, and then you lost it all. You think that makes you  _ special _ ?” He snorted without any humour. “I lost my parents. I lost the only man who was willing to help me when I needed it. I lost support. I almost lost the most important person to me -” He choked here, glanced at Pepper, who had her hand over her mouth to try and block the emotions shining in her eyes. “- and then, when I thought I couldn’t lose anything else. I lost this team. I lost  _ you _ .” He stabbed the patriot in his chest, making the super-soldier stumble.

“Where the hell  _ were _ you, Rogers, when me and the kid were up against the biggest threat we’ve ever seen? It was me and a  _ fifteen-year-old _ , Rogers. Not even Doctor Magic-Hands and the Goof-Ups of the Galaxy could help us, and you were  _ here _ . ‘Together’, my ass.” Tony sank back into the pillows, breathing hard. “And yet...after everything...I can’t make myself hate you. I wish I could.” He smiled dryly, and stared up into Steve’s eyes. “Damn you, Rogers. I just can’t hate you.”

He finally let Steve come close to the bed and cry, grasping Tony’s hand so tight he thought he’d lose circulation. When their breathing finally came back under control, Steve looked him in the eyes. “Tony, I have  _ never _ been more scared than when I thought you weren’t going to make it. I thought you were dead. And I still couldn’t make myself come over. I didn’t think I deserved to. You’d made your feelings perfectly clear, and I wanted to respect them. But I almost didn’t get the chance to say goodbye, and I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.” Tony heaved himself up and pressed himself into Steve’s chest. “Water under the bridge, Capsicle.” Steve gripped Tony tight before releasing him, stepping back to Thor.

Happy stopped talking to whoever was outside the door, looking to Pepper for confirmation. “He’s been doing his best to keep her distracted, but I think even he can’t keep up with her for much long-” His sentence was cut off yet again as another brunette blur tackled Tony to the bed, a slightly-taller brunette chasing after it.

The smaller one was yelling as she cannonballed into his chest. “Daddy!” Tony stared at the bundle on his chest to find Morgan Stark staring up at him. Peter was doubled over, gasping, near the door.

“Sorry, Mr Stark. I tried, but she’s almost as bad as you - not that you’re bad, Mr Stark! You’re great, but I -”

“Pete.”

The young boy’s eyes filled with tears. He was clearly exhausted - there were circles under his eyes, which were red and puffy. He was still wearing his suit, and his hair was a mess. He stumbled over and dropped near the bed. Tony grabbed the kid and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “It’s okay, kid. I’m okay. Everything’s gonna be okay.” He could’ve sworn that a laugh escaped somewhere between the tears.

“Mr Stark, I was so scared - I thought you were gonna - I couldn’t just - you -” Those were the only comprehensible things that emerged from his mouth before he dissolved into another crying fit.

Morgan looked from Peter to her father, and Tony brushed the tears from her own eyes. “Daddy, Mommy said I couldn’t see you because they weren’t sure if you were gonna make it. I didn’t want to wait outside but Happy  _ made _ me, Daddy! I wanted to be in here but they wouldn’t let m-” Tony pressed a finger to her lips and smiled.

“I know, sweetheart. I know.” He looked around the room at everybody and managed a smile. “I think we’re gonna be alright.”

He glanced in the corner, where a disheveled Harley was helping Peter up.

“And who are you?”

“Uh, I’m, uh, Peter Starker - PARKER! Peter Parker!”

Harley’s face cracked into a grin. “Harley Keener.” With a slight smirk, he continued,“Well, Peter Starker...if Tony’s okay with it, think you and I could go grab some grub?” Peter nodded quickly.

As the door slid open, Tony yelled, “If you’re going, you’re grabbing me a cheeseburger!”

“Absolutely  _ not _ , Tony,” Pepper ordered, at the same time that Peter answered, “Gotcha, Mr Stark!” Harley put his arm around Peter’s shoulders and steered him out with a grin.

_ Everything’s gonna be just fine. _


End file.
